Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Aged Cattle Brain Displays Alzheimer's Disease-Like Pathology and Promotes Brain Amyloidosis in a Transgenic Animal Model

Front. Aging Neurosci., 31 January 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2021.815361

Aged Cattle Brain Displays Alzheimer's Disease-Like Pathology and Promotes Brain Amyloidosis in a Transgenic Animal Model

Ines Moreno-Gonzalez1,2,3,4*, George Edwards III1, Rodrigo Morales1,4, Claudia Duran-Aniotz1,5,6, Gabriel Escobedo Jr.1, Mercedes Marquez7, Marti Pumarola7,8 and Claudio Soto1*

1Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States

2Departamento Biología Celular, Genética y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigacion Biomedica de Malaga-IBIMA, Universidad de Malaga, Malaga, Spain

3Center for Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain

4Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile

5Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile

6Latin American Institute for Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Santiago, Chile

7Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Veterinary Faculty, Animal Tissue Bank of Catalunya (BTAC), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Valles), Barcelona, Spain

8Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Valles), Barcelona, Spain

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the leading causes of dementia in late life. Although the cause of AD neurodegenerative changes is not fully understood, extensive evidence suggests that the misfolding, aggregation and cerebral accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau proteins are hallmark events. Recent reports have shown that protein misfolding and aggregation can be induced by administration of small quantities of preformed aggregates, following a similar principle by which prion diseases can be transmitted by infection. In the past few years, many of the typical properties that characterize prions as infectious agents were also shown in Aβ aggregates. Interestingly, prion diseases affect not only humans, but also various species of mammals, and it has been demonstrated that infectious prions present in animal tissues, particularly cattle affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), can infect humans. It has been reported that protein deposits resembling Aβ amyloid plaques are present in the brain of several aged non-human mammals, including monkeys, bears, dogs, and cheetahs. In this study, we investigated the presence of Aβ aggregates in the brain of aged cattle, their similarities with the protein deposits observed in AD patients, and their capability to promote AD pathological features when intracerebrally inoculated into transgenic animal models of AD. Our data show that aged cattle can develop AD-like neuropathological abnormalities, including amyloid plaques, as studied histologically. Importantly, cow-derived aggregates accelerate Aβ amyloid deposition in the brain of AD transgenic animals. Surprisingly, the rate of induction produced by administration of the cattle material was substantially higher than induction produced by injection of similar amounts of human AD material. Our findings demonstrate that cows develop seeding-competent Aβ aggregates, similarly as observed in AD patients.

snip...

The prion-like transmission of Aβ aggregates has been extensively reported in animal models and likely plays an important role in the progressive spreading of pathological abnormalities throughout the brain (Moreno-Gonzalez and Soto, 2011; Thal et al., 2014; Walker and Jucker, 2015). Nevertheless, whether this phenomenon ever operates in the inter-individual transmission of disease pathology in humans remains highly debatable. Recent studies have provided evidence for the induction of Aβ aggregation in people receiving human pituitary-derived growth hormone (Jaunmuktane et al., 2015; Ritchie et al., 2017). However, when the risk of AD development, and not only amyloid pathology, was studied no evidence was found for disease transmission (Irwin et al., 2013). The findings of our current study suggest that Aβ aggregates present in the brains of old cattle are competent to seed amyloid deposition in vivo. This induction has also been observed with other protein aggregates such as AA amyloid (Rising et al., 2021). However, the potential transmission of Aβ cattle-derived seeds to humans is unlikely, considering that repeated oral administration of AD brain extracts to susceptible mice failed to accelerate pathological features (Morales et al., 2021). The results presented in this manuscript suggest that aged cattle are susceptible to develop pathological features similar to AD, and that misfolded Aβ present in their brain is seeding competent.


P1-187 AGED CATTLE BRAIN DISPLAYSALZHEIMER’S-LIKE PATHOLOGY THATCAN BE PROPAGATED IN A PRION-LIKE MANNER

Ines Moreno-Gonzalez1, George A. Edwards, III,1, Nazaret Gamez Ruiz1,Priyadarshini Peter1, Rodrigo Morales1, Mercedes Marquez2, Marti Pumarola2,Claudio Soto1,1The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA;2Animal Tissue Bank of Catalunya (BT A C), Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain . Contact e-mail: Ines.M.Gonzalez@uth.tmc.edu

Background: Amyloid beta (Ab) and hyperphosphorylated tau(ptau) are the proteins undergoing misfolding in Alzheimer’s dis-ease (AD). Recent studies have shown that brain homogenates rich in amyloid aggregates are able to seed the misfolding and ag-gregation of amyloidogenic proteins inducing an earlier onset of the disease in mouse models of AD. This seeding behavior is analogous to the disease transmission by propagation of prion protein misfold-ing observed in prion diseases. Prion diseases can be transmitted across species by inoculation of the misfolded prion protein from one specie into an appropriate host. For example, material from cattle affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy can be propagate in humans inducing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Methods: In this study, we analyzed the presence of AD-related protein aggre-gates in the brain of old cows and investigated whether these aggregates are capable to induce pathology in animal models of AD.

Results: We observed that many of the typical hallmarks detected in human AD brains, including Ab aggregates and tangles, were present in cow brains. When cattle tissue containing Ab aggregates or ptau were intracerebrally inoculated into APP/PS1 or P301Smice, we observed an acceleration of brain misfolded protein deposition and faster cognitive impairment compared to controls. How-ever, when the material was orally inoculated, no effect was observed.

Conclusions: These results may contribute to uncover a previously unsuspected etiology surrounding some cases of spo-radic AD. However, the early and controversial stage of the field of prion-like transmission in non-prion diseases added to the artificial nature of the animal models utilized for these studies, indicate that extrapolation of the results to humans should not be done without further experiments.


P75 Determining transmissibility and proteome changes associated with abnormal bovine prionopathy 

Dudas S (1,2), Seuberlich T (3), Czub S (1,2) 

In prion diseases, it is believed that altered protein conformation encodes for different pathogenic strains. Currently 3 different strains of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) are confirmed. Diagnostic tests for BSE are able to identify animals infected with all 3 strains, however, several diagnostic laboratories have reported samples with inconclusive results which are challenging to classify. It was suggested that these may be novel strains of BSE; to determine transmissibility, brain material from index cases were inoculated into cattle. 

In the first passage, cattle were intra-cranially challenged with brain homogenate from 2 Swiss animals with abnormal prionopathy. The challenged cattle incubated for 3 years and were euthanized with no clinical signs of neurologic disease. Animals were negative when tested on validated diagnostic tests but several research methods demonstrated changes in the prion conformation in these cattle, including density gradient centrifugation and immunohistochemistry. Currently, samples from the P1 animals are being tested for changes in protein levels using 2-D Fluorescence Difference Gel Electrophoresis (2D DIGE) and mass spectrometry. It is anticipated that, if a prionopathy is present, this approach should identify pathways and targets to decipher the source of altered protein conformation. In addition, a second set of cattle have been challenged with brain material from the first passage. Ideally, these cattle will be given a sufficient incubation period to provide a definitive answer to the question of transmissibility. 

=====prion 2018=== 

Prion Conference 2018

Sunday, February 25, 2018 

PRION ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE 2018 MAY, 22-25 A REVIEW


Alzheimer’s disease and Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy prion disease, Iatrogenic, what if ? 

Background 

Alzheimer’s disease and Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy disease have both been around a long time, and was discovered in or around the same time frame, early 1900’s. Both diseases are incurable and debilitating brain disease, that are in the end, 100% fatal, with the incubation/clinical period of the Alzheimer’s disease being longer (most of the time) than the TSE prion disease. Symptoms are very similar, and pathology is very similar.

Methods

Through years of research, as a layperson, of peer review journals, transmission studies, and observations of loved ones and friends that have died from both Alzheimer’s and the TSE prion disease i.e. Heidenhain Variant Creutzfelt Jakob Disease CJD.

Results

I propose that Alzheimer’s is a TSE disease of low dose, slow, and long incubation disease, and that Alzheimer’s is Transmissible, and is a threat to the public via the many Iatrogenic routes and sources. It was said long ago that the only thing that disputes this, is Alzheimer’s disease transmissibility, or the lack of. The likelihood of many victims of Alzheimer’s disease from the many different Iatrogenic routes and modes of transmission as with the TSE prion disease.

Conclusions

There should be a Global Congressional Science round table event set up immediately to address these concerns from the many potential routes and sources of the TSE prion disease, including Alzheimer’s disease, and a emergency global doctrine put into effect to help combat the spread of Alzheimer’s disease via the medical, surgical, dental, tissue, and blood arena’s. All human and animal TSE prion disease, including Alzheimer’s should be made reportable in every state, and Internationally, WITH NO age restrictions. Until a proven method of decontamination and autoclaving is proven, and put forth in use universally, in all hospitals and medical, surgical arena’s, or the TSE prion agent will continue to spread. IF we wait until science and corporate politicians wait until politics lets science _prove_ this once and for all, and set forth regulations there from, we will all be exposed to the TSE Prion agents, if that has not happened already.

end...Terry S. Singeltary Sr.

Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1982;396:131-43.

Alzheimer's disease and transmissible virus dementia (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease).

Brown P, Salazar AM, Gibbs CJ Jr, Gajdusek DC.

Abstract

Ample justification exists on clinical, pathologic, and biologic grounds for considering a similar pathogenesis for AD and the spongiform virus encephalopathies. However, the crux of the comparison rests squarely on results of attempts to transmit AD to experimental animals, and these results have not as yet validated a common etiology. Investigations of the biologic similarities between AD and the spongiform virus encephalopathies proceed in several laboratories, and our own observation of inoculated animals will be continued in the hope that incubation periods for AD may be even longer than those of CJD.

https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1982.tb26849.x

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1982.tb26849.x/abstract
CJD1/9 0185 Ref: 1M51A

IN STRICT CONFIDENCE

Dr McGovern From: Dr A Wight Date: 5 January 1993 Copies: Dr Metters Dr Skinner Dr Pickles Dr Morris Mr Murray

TRANSMISSION OF ALZHEIMER-TYPE PLAQUES TO PRIMATES

1. CMO will wish to be aware that a meeting was held at DH yesterday, 4 January, to discuss the above findings. It was chaired by Professor Murray (Chairman of the MRC Co-ordinating Committee on Research in the Spongiform Encephalopathies in Man), and attended by relevant experts in the fields of Neurology, Neuropathology, molecular biology, amyloid biochemistry, and the spongiform encephalopathies, and by representatives of the MRC and AFRC. 2. Briefly, the meeting agreed that:

i) Dr Ridley et als findings of experimental induction of p amyloid in primates were valid, interesting and a significant advance in the understanding of neurodegenerative disorders;

ii) there were no immediate implications for the public health, and no further safeguards were thought to be necessary at present; and

iii) additional research was desirable, both epidemiological and at the molecular level. Possible avenues are being followed up by DH and the MRC, but the details will require further discussion. 93/01.05/4.1
BSE101/1 0136
IN CONFIDENCE

5 NOV 1992 CMO From: Dr J S Metters DCMO 4 November 1992

TRANSMISSION OF ALZHEIMER TYPE PLAQUES TO PRIMATES

1. Thank you for showing me Diana Dunstan's letter. I am glad that MRC have recognized the public sensitivity of these findings and intend to report them in their proper context. This hopefully will avoid misunderstanding and possible distortion by the media to portray the results as having more greater significance than the findings so far justify.

2. Using a highly unusual route of transmission (intra-cerebral injection) the researchers have demonstrated the transmission of a pathological process from two cases one of severe Alzheimer's disease the other of Gerstmann-Straussler disease to marmosets. However they have not demonstrated the transmission of either clinical condition as the "animals were behaving normally when killed'. As the report emphasizes the unanswered question is whether the disease condition would have revealed itself if the marmosets had lived longer. They are planning further research to see if the conditions, as opposed to the partial pathological process, is transmissible. What are the implications for public health?

3. The route of transmission is very specific and in the natural state of things highly unusual. However it could be argued that the results reveal a potential risk, in that brain tissue from these two patients has been shown to transmit a pathological process. Should therefore brain tissue from such cases be regarded as potentially infective? Pathologists, morticians, neuro surgeons and those assisting at neuro surgical procedures and others coming into contact with "raw" human brain tissue could in theory be at risk. However, on a priori grounds given the highly specific route of transmission in these experiments that risk must be negligible if the usual precautions for handling brain tissue are observed.

92/11.4/1-1 BSE101/1 0137

4. The other dimension to consider is the public reaction. To some extent the GSS case demonstrates little more than the transmission of BSE to a pig by intra-cerebral injection. If other prion diseases can be transmitted in this way it is little surprise that some pathological findings observed in GSS were also transmissible to a marmoset. But the transmission of features of Alzheimer's pathology is a different matter, given the much greater frequency of this disease and raises the unanswered question whether some cases are the result of a transmissible prion. The only tenable public line will be that "more research is required" before that hypothesis could be evaluated. The possibility on a transmissible prion remains open. In the meantime MRC needs carefully to consider the range and sequence of studies needed to follow through from the preliminary observations in these two cases. Not a particularly comfortable message, but until we know more about the causation of Alzheimer's disease the total reassurance is not practical.

JS METTERS Room 509 Richmond House Pager No: 081-884 3344 Callsign: DOH 832 121/YdeS 92/11.4/1.2
BSE101/1 0136

IN CONFIDENCE

CMO

From: Dr J S Metters DCMO

4 November 1992

TRANSMISSION OF ALZHEIMER TYPE PLAQUES TO PRIMATES
CJD1/9 0185
Ref: 1M51A

IN STRICT CONFIDENCE

From: Dr. A Wight Date: 5 January 1993

Copies:

Dr Metters Dr Skinner Dr Pickles Dr Morris Mr Murray

TRANSMISSION OF ALZHEIMER-TYPE PLAQUES TO PRIMATES
 ''LINE TO TAKE"
6. Trouble has been brewing for some time. Dr Collinge is lobbying hard, and threatening to go to the media, claiming Dr Will is blocking his research...
snip...
[9. Whilst this matter is not at the moment directly concerned with the iatrogenic CJD cases from hgH, there remains a possibility of litigation here, and this presents an added complication. There are also results to be made available shortly (1) concerning a farmer with CJD who had BSE animals, (2) on the possible transmissibility of Alzheimer’s and (3) a CMO letter on prevention of iatrogenic CJD transmission in neurosurgery, all of which will serve to increase media interest.]
Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Transmission of multiple system atrophy prions to transgenic mice

‘’Our results provide compelling evidence that α-synuclein aggregates formed in the brains of MSA patients are transmissible and, as such, are prions.’’

http://www.pnas.org/content/110/48/19555.abstract.html
Transmission of a neurodegenerative disorder from humans to mice

The findings suggest that the α-synuclein deposits that form in the brains of patients with MSA behave like prions and are transmissible under certain circumstances, according to the authors. — N.Z.

α-Synuclein deposits in the brainstems of inoculated mice.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/110/48/19175.full.pdf
Expanding spectrum of prion diseases

Jacob I. Ayers; Nick A. Paras; Stanley B. Prusiner 

Emerg Top Life Sci (2020) 4 (2): 155–167.


Prions were initially discovered in studies of scrapie, a transmissible neurodegenerative disease (ND) of sheep and goats thought to be caused by slow viruses. Once scrapie was transmitted to rodents, it was discovered that the scrapie pathogen resisted inactivation by procedures that modify nucleic acids. Eventually, this novel pathogen proved to be a protein of 209 amino acids, which is encoded by a chromosomal gene. After the absence of a nucleic acid within the scrapie agent was established, the mechanism of infectivity posed a conundrum and eliminated a hypothetical virus. Subsequently, the infectious scrapie prion protein (PrPSc) enriched for β-sheet was found to be generated from the cellular prion protein (PrPC) that is predominantly α-helical. The post-translational process that features in nascent prion formation involves a templated conformational change in PrPC that results in an infectious copy of PrPSc. Thus, prions are proteins that adopt alternative conformations, which are self-propagating and found in organisms ranging from yeast to humans. Prions have been found in both Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's (PD) diseases. Mutations in APP and α-synuclein genes have been shown to cause familial AD and PD. Recently, AD was found to be a double prion disorder: both Aβ and tau prions feature in this ND. Increasing evidence argues for α-synuclein prions as the cause of PD, multiple system atrophy, and Lewy body dementia.

Keywords:α-synuclein, amyloid beta, neurodegeneration, prion, tau proteins 

Subjects:Aging, Molecular Bases of Health & Disease, Neuroscience


least we forget...

*** Transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease to a chimpanzee by electrodes contaminated during neurosurgery *** 

Gibbs CJ Jr, Asher DM, Kobrine A, Amyx HL, Sulima MP, Gajdusek DC. 

Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892. Stereotactic multicontact electrodes used to probe the cerebral cortex of a middle aged woman with progressive dementia were previously implicated in the accidental transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) to two younger patients. The diagnoses of CJD have been confirmed for all three cases. More than two years after their last use in humans, after three cleanings and repeated sterilisation in ethanol and formaldehyde vapour, the electrodes were implanted in the cortex of a chimpanzee. Eighteen months later the animal became ill with CJD. This finding serves to re-emphasise the potential danger posed by reuse of instruments contaminated with the agents of spongiform encephalopathies, even after scrupulous attempts to clean them. 


Wednesday, July 28, 2021 

France issues moratorium on prion research after fatal brain disease strikes two lab workers

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018 

Iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with Amyloid-β pathology: an international study

http://creutzfeldt-jakob-disease.blogspot.com/2018/02/iatrogenic-creutzfeldt-jakob-disease.html

Re-Evidence for human transmission of amyloid-β pathology and cerebral amyloid angiopathy 

Nature 525, 247?250 (10 September 2015) doi:10.1038/nature15369 Received 26 April 2015 Accepted 14 August 2015 Published online 09 September 2015 Updated online 11 September 2015 Erratum (October, 2015) 

snip...see full Singeltary Nature comment here; 

Alzheimer's disease

let's not forget the elephant in the room. curing Alzheimer's would be a great and wonderful thing, but for starters, why not start with the obvious, lets prove the cause or causes, and then start to stop that. think iatrogenic, friendly fire, or the pass it forward mode of transmission. think medical, surgical, dental, tissue, blood, related transmission. think transmissible spongiform encephalopathy aka tse prion disease aka mad cow type disease... 

Commentary: Evidence for human transmission of amyloid-β pathology and cerebral amyloid angiopathy





Self-Propagative Replication of Ab Oligomers Suggests Potential Transmissibility in Alzheimer Disease 

*** Singeltary comment PLoS *** 

Alzheimer’s disease and Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy prion disease, Iatrogenic, what if ? 

Posted by flounder on 05 Nov 2014 at 21:27 GMT 


MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022 

Atypical Nor98 Scrapie, Atypical BSE, CWD, Can Emerge As Different TSE PrP In Cross Species Transmission, A Volatile Situation For Human and Animal Health


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 07, 2021 

Atypical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy BSE OIE, FDA 589.2001 FEED REGULATIONS, and Ingestion Therefrom



Terry S. Singeltary Sr. <flounder9@verizon.net>